Google +1 goes Global!

After introducing its latest offering to English search results on Google.com in March, Google has now rolled out its new social button '+1' across the world. This will make it easier for people who enjoy certain content to recommend it on a Google search.

Google has also announced a few new partners who will be implementing the +1 button on their site over the next few days. As well as the original, and some what predictable websites Google had signed up, such as Add This, Mashable and Reuters, it now boast partnerships with big newspapers such as The Telegraph, The Independent and the Spanish newspaper El País. Looking at Google search results this morning, it appears that you do not need to action +1 on your site to reap the benefits, although a website with +1 buttons on its pages will accumulate more +1 clicks than those who only have the button in a search.

Adding the +1 button could help websites stand out more in a search due to personal recommendations, but only if the user is signed into Google. This appears to be a bit of an oversight on Googles' behalf, other social media buttons will still appear regardless of whether the user is signed in, and on clicking the button, users are encouraged to log in or sign up. If anything Google is missing an opportunity to build it's members.

Although this could be seen as another convenient function, what does it mean in terms of privacy? Google +1 Button privacy policy says that:

"The Google +1 button is a way for you to share information publicly with the world. The Google +1 button helps you and others receive personalised content from Google and our partners. The fact that you +1’d something will be recorded by Google, along with information about the page that you were viewing when you clicked the +1 button. Your +1’s may appear to others as an annotation with your profile name and photo in Google services (such as in search results or on your Google Profile) or elsewhere on websites and ads on the Internet.

We will record information about your +1 activity in order to provide you and other users with a better experience on Google services.

In order to use the Google+1 button, you need to have a public Google Profile visible to the world, which at the very least includes the name that you chose for the profile. That name will be used across Google services and in some cases it may replace another name that you've used when sharing content under your Google Account. We may display your Google Profile identity to people who have your email address or other identifying information."

Will this change the way we use Google search? Instead of picking one of the top search results, are we going to start choosing by recommendations, particularly one with our trusted friends face next to it?